It was with deep regret that we learned of the death of Bill Collings, owner of Collings Guitars, on July 14. As a tribute to the life and times of one of the world's greatest guitar makers, we would like to continue to feature Collings Guitars on our website for the coming month.

Berlin, July 17th, 2017

"We always try to make it better, it's just what we do."

Amongst builders of hand-crafted, high-end acoustic and electric guitars, Bill Collings has an almost legendary status, with a reputation for outstanding craftsmanship, and a passionate commitment to quality, tone and playability. And maybe it's Bill's original background in engineering and guitar repair that gives him the edge when it comes to attention to detail, and making things as good as they can possibly be.

"The world is made up of stuff that is 'OK', just fine. But when something is made by a group of people that really know what they're doing, and engineering, time and passion are put into it, it doubles it."

It's certainly the passion and love of the guitar that shines through in all the instruments that Bill Collings makes. And it's a feeling that is shared by every single member of the Collings team.

“Well, that’s the deal. You go over to China, and I know that factory isn’t run by guitar players. But that’s the reason they’re not ever going to rise to the top. Because your employees have to have the same feeling. They really do. It’s like making art without artists—how’s that going to happen? It’s not. Having the love, that’s going to help it get there. That’s pretty much it.”

Bill himself has been described by those who know him as "the Energizer Bunny on steroids". That in itself says something not only about Bill's infectious enthusiasm and passion for the guitar, but also about the unceasing search for perfection that characterizes him and his team. But perfection? Do you ever get there?

“Every day we try to make a better guitar, every day... You’re trying to reach for more, trying to do better, not trying to do the same. A lot of companies are trying to do the same, and that’s okay—that’s their deal. We’re trying to stretch that. Our goal is a little more.”

Here at Plek we are proud and honored that Bill has chosen to incorporate a Plek Pro machine into his production process. We also feel that it reflects a shared commitment to quality and a passion for making guitars as good as they can possibly be. As Bill himself says:

"From an engineering standpoint, our PLEK has been a tremendous learning tool. In a lot of ways, it's become the heart of our operation in that we've geared our production processes around producing the results that we measure with the machine. It allows us to make predictions about our instruments and gives us confirmation that we're on the right track."

So here's to you Bill. You're certainly on the right track, and remain an inspiration to us all!